Team

Luuk van Middelaar is the Director of the Brussels Institiute for Geopolitics (BIG), which he co-founded in 2022. A historian and political theorist, his books include The Passage to Europe (2013), Alarums & Excursions (2019) and Pandemonium: Saving Europe (2021) – all available in multiple languages. He is also a part-time professor of EU law at Leiden University. His essays and comments appear regularly in Le Monde, DIE ZEIT, El País, Hospodářské noviny, The Guardian and other newspapers across Europe. Luuk was the chief speechwriter to European Council president Van Rompuy (2010–2014).

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Claude-France Arnould joined the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics in March 2025 as Senior Fellow for European Defence. She was Executive Director of the European Defence Agency (2011–15), before serving as France’s Ambassador to Belgium (2015–19). Between 2020 and 2025, she was affiliated to the Paris-based think-tank Ifri as Advisor to the President for European Affairs. She led the Crisis Management and Planning Directorate at the EU Council after serving as Director for Defense (2001 to 2011). She is a graduate of the École normale supérieure (ENS), the École nationale d’administration (ENA) and Sciences Po, Paris and has been awarded high honours in Belgium, France, Germany and Spain.

Bodil Bajwa joined BIG from the Council of the European Union, bringing extensive administrative experience in the organization of multilateral summits and the day-to-day running of the institution.

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Margaux is an author. She was a speechwriter to various politicians and entrepreneurs. Her recent books (Ultra violet, Vivre Nu and Paul Ricoeur: le courage du compromis) explore the link between activism and philosophy. A graduate in philosophy from the École normale supérieure in Paris, Margaux is working for BIG on a project about the year 1989, among others.

Elisa Díaz Gras is a political theorist with twenty years of experience in diplomacy and international affairs. She served as the head of political affairs at the Mission of Mexico to the EU and previously acted as a representative to various multilateral and regional organizations, including the United Nations in New York, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Chile and UNESCO in Paris. She was elected vice-president of the executive board of UN Women (2013).

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Alison is an editor and book publisher with extensive experience in the industry. A graduate of Oxford University, where she read Modern Languages and Classics, she currently commissions titles for Agenda Publishing and aspires to write her own book one day.

One of the founders of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, Hans Kribbe is the author of The Strongmen: European Encounters with Sovereign Power (2020) and a partner at political advisory firm Shearwater Global. Earlier he worked at the European Commission as an aide to the Commissioners for the single market and competition policy. Hans holds a PhD from the London School of Economics.

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Paul joined the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics (BIG) as Head of Communications in November 2024, bringing nearly a decade of experience in Brussels-based communications focusing on European and international affairs. Prior to this role, he served as Public Affairs and Communications Officer at the European Institute of Peace and as Press Officer for the European Green Party during the lead-up to the 2019 European elections.

With a background in the media, Paul has worked with news outlets Radio France Internationale, the Associated Press, and Al Jazeera. He holds a Joint BA (Hons) degree in French and Fine Art from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Kate is a graduate of the College of Europe with an MA in EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies and of University College Cork with a BSc in Government and Political Science, also bringing experience from the European Parliament

Thijs Van de Graaf is an associate professor in International Politics at Ghent University. His latest book is Global Energy Politics (2020). He was the lead author of two IRENA reports on the geopolitics of the energy transition, on hydrogen (2022) and critical materials (2023). Thijs co-authored BIG’s 2024 report on energy diplomacy.

Leonardo joined the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics in March 2025 as Research Trainee, bringing experience in EU affairs and geopolitical analysis from the consulting sector and from the European Commission’s Sanctions Unit. He also holds an MSc in Politics and Policy Analysis from Bocconi University and a BSc in International Economics and Marketing from the University of Modena.

Valeria is a graduate of the University of Amsterdam with an MA in European Studies and of the University of Bologna with a BSc in Political Science and International Relations. She brings experience in research in youth-led think tanks and organisations.

Matthew joined BIG in March 2025 as a communications trainee. He brings experience in both media and journalism from Queen's University Belfast, with his articles published in various print and digital publications like BBC News, The Guardian, and The Irish Times. He has also worked independently with artists across Ireland to construct PR and press packages for media distribution.